Iran nuclear talks nearing accord - EU diplomat

VIENNA, Jun 1 (Reuters) Major power talks on Iran's nuclear programme are heading towards an accord on a ''carrots and sticks'' package to be offered to Tehran, an EU diplomat said today.

The West fears the programme is designed to make an atomic bomb, while Iran says it is solely for power generation.

''The atmosphere in the session is very good and positive and we are moving in the direction of an agreement,'' the diplomat, who requested anonymity but is familiar with the talks in Vienna, told Reuters.

The diplomat assessed as a positive sign a decision by British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett to bring forward a statement to the media by two hours to 1800 GMT.

Foreign ministers of the five permanent UN Security Council powers plus Germany and the EU foreign policy chief were discussing a package drafted by the so-called ''EU3'' -- France, Germany and Britain.

Diplomats said the incentives were expected to encompass a light-water nuclear reactor and an assured foreign supply of atomic fuel so Iran would not need to enrich uranium itself.

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